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Angel
Biography Pre-Accident The oldest of the three Stevens, Emma Matthews (née Stevens) was born in 1980 in Queens, New York, to Patricia and Daniel Stevens. She grew up on Hillside Ave, near Southside. Her father was an anesthesiologist, while her mother was a nurse. Her parents had met when her father was doing his residency. Put through the public school system, Emma showed exceptional talent in the field of science. Her excellent grades allowed her to get a full scholarship to the University that she wanted to go to. It was there, that she met James Matthews and his younger brother Paul Matthews. She joined the research team that they were putting together and helped bring her younger sister and younger brother into the team. Another person on the team was Nicolas Leiter, a friend of James. She also eventually accepted James' romantic attentions, though she herself had fallen in love with his younger brother Paul. It was about this time that her parents died. The car crash took both her parents though they suffered in the hospital for some time. When she found out that her parents had been arguing and going through a fight shortly before the car crash, she took her position of peacemaker in the team even more seriously. She was able to prevent quite a few fights between the two Matthews brothers. It affected her outlook on life greatly, making her much more of a pacifist than she was before. She considered becoming a negotiator and diplomat, but James Matthews convinced her to stay with the research group. The car accident also made her closer to James. As the team's list of accomplishments grew, their financial situation expanded and James was able to get them out of the small research area they were in, and into a much grander building. It involved however, a move to Metropolis, the fabled home of the Daily Planet and Superman. At that point he proposed to Emma and she accepted. Complications with projects and James' general nature would keep them at the engagement stage for over two years. The Accident It will always be contested who caused the Energy Recapture Experiment to fail, most especially by the two Matthews brothers. The full blame should fall upon the shoulders of James Matthews, though to James, the blame falls solely upon his younger brother Paul Matthews. The experiment would have drastic effects upon the six who participated in it. Some time back, Paul came up with a theory. Using sophisticated equipment, they could recreate the flare that caused the original Fantastic Four's creation. Utilizing this, and the suit of the former Mr. Fantastic, they could, theoretically, harness the energy trapped in the suit. It would be a renewable source of energy, one that could help power the world. He saw the experiment as a way to help people. His brother saw the experiment as a way to increase the group's financial standing and his own personal fame. James and Paul began to work on the formula together. The exact cause of the problem would never fully be found, but there was a flaw in the formula. When the experiment began, covered by the media, there was a chain reaction and the flare could not be contained. As before, each member of the team was given amazing, or in this case, fantastic powers. During the experiment's failure, James Matthews was thrown from the building and sent hurtling miles away. Post-Accident James Matthews was given up for dead, after a city and state wide manhunt failed to locate him, though the manhunt would continue on in some part for some time. The rest of the research team was confined to a hospital where their wounds were treated. Also at this point, they discovered their powers. Emma, who had taken the blast after the flare had moved through a few support beams and equipment, was given the ability to turn her skin into a white organic steel like substance. It granted her superhuman strength and an inordinately strong resistance to bodily harm. The steel is like normal skin, and when one touches her, it feels as if one was touching her without the power on. In addition, she was granted the ability of self sustenance. When she is in her Steel Mode, she requires no food or drink or air. Neither can she rust. When she found out about her powers, Emma went through a natural shock at the changes in her body. She realized, once she was over the personal shock, the drastic changes that would be soon in coming to her own and her friends and relatives lives. She helped her siblings deal with their own new powers. When they were released from the hospital, she and the rest of the team moved into the Cascade Building, given to them by an anonymous donor. The Cascade Building is fully owned and controlled by Fantastic Five Inc., and would provid the group with a guaranteed source of income through the rent of the building, and in addition, a testing ground for some of the consumer products that they would design and build. The Formation Begins At the Cascade Building, Emma underwent tests administered by Paul Matthews, that enabled her to fully understand her powers. During the tests on her siblings, Carly came up with the idea of resurrecting the old Fantastic Four. Obviously, they'd be known as the Fantastic Five, due to the presence of five, not four. While they were in the hospital and in the Cascade Building, a city wide, and state wide manhunt was undertaken to find the whereabouts of James. During this time Nicolas Leiter left the group for personal reasons While this was going on, Emma went through a personal crisis. She was engaged to James, but she'd never stopped loving his younger brother. Now James was gone, and Paul was stepping up to the plate as the group's leader and spokesperson. She was forced to address her feelings for the two brothers. She realized that while she cared for James, it had more to do with caring for his well being than love or anything like it. Deep down inside, she'd harbored the general neutrality towards him that her brother and sister felt. She would never understand Paul Matthews' animosity and outright hatred for his older brother. She did realize as well that she'd only dated James Matthews in order to stay close to his brother. Coming to terms with her feelings meant for Emma that she had to act on them. So she told Paul Matthews how she felt. His stunned reaction had her reeling and running away, thinking that she'd made a fool of herself, had ruined the rebuilding of their group, and more importantly, forced Paul away. Little did she know, but he'd started a plan to show her how he felt. He went to her and told her that he felt about her the same way that she felt about him, and had felt that way for some time. She moved into his room, and would remain there for the next few months, until James Matthews returned. Stumbling Blocks When James Matthews came to the Cascade Building, his actions started a chain reaction. The whole group was shocked to see him, most of all Emma. She was surprised that their efforts to locate him had failed, but that here he was, seemingly perfectly healthy. He was dressed well, and she could tell that he'd recently come into more money. He had come to the building when they were in the middle of a planning session regarding the Fantastic Five and the group was caught unawares. She was curious and angry at the same time. Her anger grew as he was mainly interested, not in their well being, but how they'd come into the Casscade Building. He wasn't interested in the people, but the real estate. Eventually Knubblechen Prime called Emma away, and James Matthews searched the building for Paul Matthews. Knubblechen Prime, up until that point a playful and humorous being became serious, telling Emma that James had gained powers as well and that his mind was beginning to entertain evil thoughts. Emma, initially surprised at the sudden depature of Knubbly's normal behavior, was not shocked by these revelations. She had realized that if the rest of the group had received powers, it stood to reason that James had as well. But he hadn't said anything regarding newly found powers. He hadn't mentioned anything like that at all. She decided that she needed to hear what James and Paul were saying. She knew that James would never reveal his true feelings if she was there to see it, so she watched the two conversing on the roof from the security station in the apartment. She heard the two of them arguing. James was accusing Paul of stealing her from him. She realized that James had deduced that Paul and Emma had been intimate. She couldn't help but think that James couldn't accuse Paul of stealing her when she was already Paul's to begin with. Their argument continued, going back to the Energy Recapture Experiment. In addition, James revealed that he did have powers, but that he'd found a cure for them and had shut them down. Emma wasn't sure whether or not to believe him. Paul told James that he'd known all the time about how James had cheated on Emma throughout the years. Emma knew that Paul had never lied to her, and since he didn't know that she was listening to the conversation, there was no doubt that he was telling the truth. The two Matthews brothers continued to argue, eventually though James left the rooftop of the Cascade Building, in search of Emma. Paul didn't come down from the rooftop. Emma met James in the dining room, but she had started to cook dinner, not wanting to talk to him. He got her away from the rest of the group and into a room that she'd prepared for him, knowing that he was going to stay the night. In the room, the two of them began to argue, much more heatedly than James had argued with Paul. James was trying to convince Emma that she was in love with him and that Paul had twisted her against him. Meanwhile, Emma revealed that she'd always been in love with Paul and it had taken the time away from James to realize that she had to do something about it. She confronted him then about his actions throughout the years. He'd been manipulative, cruel, and downright nasty to not only her but her brother, sister, and to his own brother. She told him in no nonsense terms that they would not be welcoming him back, unless he was willing to listen to Paul when it came to the research and the business. Also, she was breaking her engagement with him. Obviously, James was irate and refused to do either. The two spent the rest of the night arguing and discussing all of this. Fallout In the morning, Emma escorted James immediately to the entrance of the apartment. She didn't want anything going down when it had been decided that James was going to leave. She had refused to budge an inch and continued to do so, even when he tried, up till the end, to convince her that Paul was at fault and a snake. He left and Emma felt incredibly tired from having dealt with all that stress in one shot. She knew she had to find Paul and talk to him, make sure that everything was okay on his end. When she went to the bedroom that the two shared, he was nowhere to be found. What she did find in the bedroom was shocking. He'd emptied almost all of his clothes and belongings from the room. Taken them, quickly and quietly. Concerned, she looked all over the three story apartment, but she couldn't find the man anywhere. Finally, she went up to the roof and there he was. He stood on the roof with a number of suitcases. They began to talk, and immediately, she could tell that something was wrong. He was angry, incredibly angry. At first she thought that it had something to do with James' return, but then he accused her of sleeping with James the previous night. She denied the allegations, knowing that they were false, but Paul refused to listen to her, believing due to, at least to him, iron clad evidence that she and James had had sex. Shortly after he made the accusations, he informed her that he was leaving. He believed that since she and James had slept together, James would take over the company, becoming the leader as he had been before. While Paul had no real ambitions to fight James for the CEO and leader spot, the time when James had been away had been the first real time that Paul had been out from under the yoke of his older brother and he'd enjoyed it. He refused to be put back under the control of his domineering brother and had decided to leave. Emma attempted to stop him using her powers, but Paul's ability to stretch ensured that he got away and indeed left. Emma, who had now lost the love of her life to a grievous misunderstanding, gave in to the mounting stress and emotion, crying herself to sleep. She wouldn't leave the room that she and Paul had shared for a number of days, worrying Carly Stevens and getting her to convince Emma to get Paul back. Using just a little bit of the brains that she'd been blessed with, Emma tracked Paul down to his old childhood home in Portland, Oregon. Then she set out, intent on bringing him back, even if it was kicking and screaming. Undying Love Emma flew out to Portland on the first available flight. After she landed she made her way to Paul's old home. She was sure that he wouldn't be there and even if he was, that he wouldn't want her there. Most importantly, she was fearful that she would not be able to patch up the problems between the two of them. She stayed in front of the house for a while. Finally, she worked up the courage to ring the doorbell. Paul answered, the shock of seeing her clearly etched on his face. She got inside the house and began to talk to him, but he quickly rememberd why she'd had to track him in the first place. Quickly, the conversation devolved into an argument between the two. However, Emma stood her ground, showing him, the piece of evidence that she'd brought with her. James had altered the security records, yes, but he had not changed the secondary backup copies, nor had he changed the security records for the security console itself. During the course of the fight, Paul told her that he wanted her to go back to the Cascade Building wihtout him and to find James. Then he wanted her to make him the CEO of the company and give him the shares that Paul owned. Finally he wanted her to make sure that James married her. Emma obviously refused, and demanded to know why he wanted her to do that. Paul told her that she deserved far better than anything he could give her. He was talking about materialistic things, and she told him flat out that while she wanted to live comfortably, she didn't have any greedy desires to have a large sum of money. Finally the two were able to reconcile. They spent the rest of the day being intimate. The next morning, when Emma woke, Paul was gone. After her shower, she saw that he'd left her a message on the bathroom mirror. He'd gone out on a few errands. While she was eating breakfast he came back. They talked for a few moments, and when she looked away from him, he placed a small box on the kitchen counter next to her. When she turned back, she was surprised to see the box there. Opening it, she was shocked to find an engagement ring. And not just any engagement ring at that. It was a family heirloom, passed down to the men of the Matthews family to give to their fiancée's when the time came. Paul asked her to marry him, something that she'd wanted ever since she'd met him. Emma said yes. The two of them returned to the Cascade Building to share the news with the rest of the group. Byo-products Shortly after Emma and Paul announced their engagement in the major newspapers of Metropolis and began to plan the wedding, the group was given a great opportunity. Columbia University's top biologists invited the Fantastic Five to come and conduct a series of experiments on the campus. Emma used this opportunity to convince Paul to give a series of talks on plants and to publicly talk about the experiments they were going to do. The rest of the family came along in one of Fantastic Research Inc.'s private jets, headed from Metropolis to New York City. There the group met up with the researchers and scientists from Columbia. They prepared an exhibit on a number of different plants. Fantastic Research Inc's part dealt with the talks alone. The presence of some other heroes was unknown to the Fantastic family, until they revealed themselves during an attack by an unknown foe. More Coming Soon and Emma Matthews, the Fantastics]] Relationships James Matthews Emma's relationship with James Matthews has been very complicated from the start. Emma fixed his car, believing at first that it belonged to James younger brother. Even after she knew the truth, she continued to fix it, as a favor to the man that she'd just fallen head over heels in love with. She didn't know Paul Matthews that well, but wanted to be around him more. Since he wasn't making any moves towards her, and his brother was, she chose to date his brother, ensuring that she'd be around Paul. It has honeslt been Emma's only completely selfish decision. However, James Matthews actions towards her, and his treatment of her has made any notion of remorse at using him to get closr to his brother vanish from Emma's mind. Even though she loved Paul Matthews, she was faithful to James as long as they were dating. He however, was not. He had a more than a few women outside of their relationship, pursuing them even after he asked Emma to marry him. She accepted knowing that it was the only way to really stay close to his brother who was remaining silent on his feelings, if he had any. She convinced herself that she did have some feelings for James. She was willing to marry him though, just to stay in the "family". She didn't know that James Matthews really didn't "love" her at all. If he had, he wouldn't have cheated on her the number of times that he did. Their engagement labored on for some time, stretching to years, as the two struggled to set a date and relationship problems began to develop. Then came the accident that would change their lives forever. The accident changed James, at least thats what Emma thought when the two met up for the first time after it. In reality all it had done was release James' dark inner thoughts and give him the power to try to make them a reality. In the time between the accident and the next time she saw James, Emma and Paul were able to confide in each other their feelings towards one another. When she did see James, Emma broke off the engagement, not realizing that it was the straw that broke the camel's back for James. He declared war on the Fantastic Five, though he kept a special place for Emma in his heart. It took Ivana Kaldera's mental powers to remove that from James. The relationship between Emma and James became one of anger and the two were now enemies. Paul Matthews Simply put, Paul Matthews is the love of Emma's life. Despite how dedicated he may be to the lab and his research, he has the privilege of being the only man that Emma has ever loved. She would do anything for him, and loves him completely, accepting his faults and shortcomings. Even though she wants the best for him and accepts his shortcomings, Emma will use the influence that she has over Paul to gently make his life more normal. Even she doesn't fully realize at least now, the influence she has over him. Emma barely tolerates the long hours that Paul puts into the lab, insisting that he take breaks and rest. She is his sounding board, the one person that he completely and totally trusts. More Coming Soon Powers Angel's body was altered during the accident that created the Fantastic Five. Due to this, she gained considerable powers. *'Organic Steel Skin:' Angel has the superhuman ability to convert the tissue of her entire body into a white, organic steel-like substance, granting her superhuman strength and a high degree of resistance to bodily harm. She is able to transform into this armor-like state at will (the process is virtually instantaneous) and remain in that form for an as yet undetermined amount of time. Once in her armored form she remains so until she consciously wills herself back to normal. If she is rendered unconscious, however, she spontaneously reverts to her normal form. Angel can become partially or selectively armored. Even her eyes become steel-like and are capable of resisting a .45 caliber bullet. In addition, her skin is, to the touch, like normal skin, the only evidence that she's changed the visible coloring difference and the enhanced durability. She takes her name from the smooth, white, almost angelic, look she has while in her armored state. *'Superhuman Durability:' In her armored form Angel is highly resistant to most forms of bodily harm. Her armor is capable of withstanding ballistic penetration, including that of a 110 millimeter Howitzer shell. She could survive a collision with a loaded, one-ton flatbed truck at 100 miles per hour or an explosion of 450 pounds of TNT. She can survive extremes of temperature from 70 degrees above absolute zero (-390 degrees Fahrenheit) to approximately 9000 Fahrenheit. However, it is theorized that above the latter temperature, her armored form would begin to melt. *'Superhuman Strength:' Angel possesses vast physical strength, the exact limits of which aren't known. However, she is capable of lifting at least 90 tons under optimum conditions. Her strength may or may not continue to grow, as her powers develop further. *'Self Sustenance:' Angel's armored form cannot rust under normal Earth conditions. Angel, while armored, has no need of food, water, or air. Abilities *'Pilot:' Emma is an excellent pilot, the designated pilot of the Fantasticar, as well the majority of the Fantastic Five's vehicles. She remains the groups best pilot, despite her brother's ever increasing skills. *'Scientist:' Emma is also a highly acclaimed scientist in her own right. She specializes in the fields of Biology, Chemistry and Biochemistry. While she does hold a few patents and discoveries to her name, her general reputation is often looked over in favor of the leader of the Fantastic Five, Paul Matthews. Threads A list of past and present threads in which Emma has been present or made an appearance. Present Threads *FF: The Future is Now Past Threads *Fantastic Five: Fantastic Once More *Black Roses II: Deconstruction *Fire Flame: The First Song Category:Characters (WH)Category: Females (WH)Category:HeroesCategory:Fantastic FiveCategory: MirrodinCategory: Mirrodin (WoH)Category: New Yorkers